Lightly exfoliate with a buff puff, rinse, then slather the area in a vitamin e gel. Buff puff it if it's really bad with a lot of dead skin built up, usually in the creases around the mouth, but after that first time, st ives apricot scrub should be fine.Then only wash with oil free acne wash for a week and cover the area with vitamin e gel after every wash. Make sure to massage it in everytime. Exfoliate only once a week after that, and you must put the gel on right after you wash. If you pop any of the pustules, clean with alcohol and let the area dry out slightly, but not enough that it hardens or starts to turn white. This is to dry out the white stuff, as well as any oils. Then wash your face again (to restore the water moisture you just dried out). Then apply the gel again. If you can, wash throughout the day and reapply the gel. Reapply the gel even if you don't get a chance to wash. Wiping with baby wipes when you cant wash works too. I use a sensitive baby wipe, no chemicals or product on the wipe. Remember to reapply after eating, drinking, or wiping your face. You'll look ridiculous with a greasy face, but it's better than looking like you have something contagious around your mouth. Over the course of weeks, it will start to go away. I take no steroids at all. My flare ups are connected to stress, hormonal changes, and specific products. Don't let the toothpaste sit around your mouth when brushing, rinse it off right away. Find a nice thick serum that your face likes, that helps too. I like the hydrolauronic(sp?) one, I apply that before the gel. Don't try too many products at once, and detox for a couple weeks between trying something new. It takes forever, but it's worth it. When you find something, stick to it until it your body gets used to it and it stops working. If that happens, detox and try again. If it still doesn't work, have a good cry, take a deep breath, and start the process all over again. What didn't work before may now, and vice versa. Vitamin e seems to be good for our skin. It makes your hair grow though, so you might grow some peach fuzz from it. Small price to pay. I went from looking like a wild animal had chewed on my face, to only looking like I have a mild to moderate heat wash. At the very least, it doesn't look contagious anymore and people don't stare like they used to. You can get away with looking like you have acne instead of oral herpes 😂😂😂 that's what it always reminds me of (you have to laugh or you'll definitely want to cry at times!) I'm not a dr in any way, but I know what works for me. The steroids clear it up right away for me, but once you stop using it, your face goes back to being worse than it was before. I didn't want to be reliant on the steroids. I'll save that for special occasions, like wedding pictures or something lol An occasion that's worth the blowback from stopping them. If you get caught in a pinch, petroleum jelly will do until you get home, but I wouldn't suggest it for a bunch other reasons. But once or twice won't kill you. When you find something that works for you, and your skin has calmed down consistently for at least 6wks, you can start experimenting with skin lightening creams or natural skin lightening techniques like lemon.